Is It April Yet?

I'm am so glad last week is over. I've been told that I don't handle stress well. I think that's an understatement. Monday, of course, was a very stressful day for me but I ended up getting good news so that was a huge relief. But my doctor still wants me to see the breast surgeon just in case. The funny thing is, I think the most stressful thing for me was meeting with the superintendent. I despise social situations and confrontation. Anyway. Thursday was my upper G.I. scope. Everything went smoothly. I was told that I have shallow ulcers, and either irritation or inflammation (I don't really remember). I was given a prescription for some stomach medication. I remember the doctor having a talk with me about what I eat and drink. I know he asked what I eat and drink for breakfast. I told him a Dr. Pepper and a poptart. I remember him shaking his head no. I just don't like healthy stuff. I never have and it's going to be really hard to change my diet. After they released me from there, I was so thirsty (since I couldn't eat or drink anything from midnight the night before). I had to get a Dr. Pepper, which probably not the best idea. But in my defense, while we stopped at the gas station I used the bathroom and don't even remember it. I'll blame my choice of drink on the sedatives. The only thing I really remember is thinking that the cashier probably thought I looked like a zombie. I kind of felt like one. Anyway, my mom helped me a ton that day. She took me to St. Joe for the appointment and sat in the waiting room for a million years. Then she bought me lunch and drove me home. She let me sleep awhile and she picked the kids up from school and brought them home.

That evening was the kid's school concert. Perfect day for it. I was still tired from everything, and there were so many people and not enough places to sit. We had to stand in the back during Mikayla's concert. She wasn't up on the riser, and there was another row of kids in front of her row. These kids were taller than her and you couldn't see her at all the whole time. I was upset that I couldn't see her, and she was upset that nobody could see her. Ugh...oh well. I did actually email the school and (nicely) suggest that they try something different with the setup of the all-school concert. It's not something I normally would have done, but I was upset and I know that Mikayla wasn't the only kid that wasn't able to be seen. And we had to park 5 blocks away. The place was like a zoo. I suggested that they just hold each grade level on separate days. If each grade level were on stage separately, then all the kids could have fit on the risers and would have been seen. I mean, I totally understand why the music teacher would think that it would be easier on the parents of multiple children to have the concert on one day. But I would rather have gone back on separate days. I suggested they do a parent survey, because I heard a lot of other people complaining about the setup. They said they might do that. They also might have been trying to satisfy me for the moment so I would leave them alone, lol... Oh, and poor Dakota. During his, he seemed to have trouble singing because he was concentrating so much on the hand movements. Poor guy seems to have trouble doing two things at once. The look of deep concentration on his face during the concert was kind of funny though – he almost looked mad at times.

Last Wednesday was our meeting with the school for Dakota's IEP (Individual Education Plan). It went pretty well. They are going to be pulling Dakota out of his regular class for an extra 40 minutes a day for a social skills class. This will not only help him socialize with others, but they will work with him on sticking up for himself when he is bullied. I think it's a really good idea. He really likes it too – he seems to really enjoy being in the small “special” classes. They are also having him talk with the counselor often. I think he is only going to be in the regular classroom half the time now. This might bother some parents, but John and I have talked before that we would rather him be in the small groups than in the regular classroom. He seems to be overwhelmed when he is around too many people. I'm really pleased with how accommodating the school is with Dakota's education. They give him school work for a younger grade level instead of expecting too much out of him, they give him extra time to do his work since he is slow with processing, etc... The bullying issue has actually been better. The boy told Dakota that the book he checked out from the library was for babies, and one day Dakota made something and this boy said that he could do it better. He still makes these little comments to try to make Dakota mad, but no name calling or pushing or anything like that. Its progress I guess though. Oh, and at the parent/teacher conferences this week, they handed out bullying information sheets for parents.

Dakota's newest obsession is presidents. Especially Abraham Lincoln. No idea why. He has been continuously watching documentaries on YouTube about him. He can tell you all you want to know about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Dakota doesn't always have “normal” interests. He isn't interested in WWE like he used to be. That was an easy phase to find him gifts for Christmas and his birthday. If he doesn't get a more common interest by the time his birthday rolls around this year, I will have no idea what to get the kid. I can hear him right now watching a video about Romney and Obama. Such an odd thing for a 9 year old, but I wouldn't have him any other way.